When India’s pandemic situation worsened in April this year, three NUS MBA candidates Keshav Jain, Aayush and Priya Sharma decided to help their home country.
“We were very worried, especially for our families and friends. We felt that we must do something to help,” said Keshav.
The trio, who became close friends after doing project work together, observed that India’s hospitals were facing an oxygen shortage. This prompted them to start a fundraiser for oxygen equipment.
Their campaign raised more than S$8100 (US$6000), allowing for the purchase of 10 oxygen concentrators and 15 pulse oximeters for rural patients in eastern India. The pulse oximeters measure and detect dangerously low blood oxygen level in COVID-19 patients, while oxygen concentrators deliver oxygen to patients by removing nitrogen from the surrounding air, to prevent organ failure.
Teamwork
The students were initially worried if they could pull off the fundraiser as they had no experience. “When the idea of fundraising struck me initially, I was a bit reluctant as I had no experience with something like this before. However, as soon as I discussed this with Ayush and Priya, all three of us were on board, and as a team, we were more confident that we could pull this together,” said Keshav.
They took a systematic approach to plan and execute different components of the project.
First, they researched various manufacturers and sellers of oxygen devices and their prices. While oxygen cylinders are in high demand, the trio felt that these are not cost-effective. In comparison, oxygen concentrators can be reused without a refill.